Start of the project

I've had the old 1997 GTI with a 2.0L ABA motor for a long time - since I was 16. After a few years the car became frustrating to operate in my career as an accountant due to failed AC, being low to the ground, having only two doors, etc. and I bought a Volvo S60. Unwilling to give up the GTI, however, the car remained stuffed into the front of my garage for a few years. I was always interested in the boosted 16v ABA project, simply because the idea of combining two different motors just seemed so cool to me - the problem is that where I live, finding a 16v motor or even the head seemed impossible. After a few years of sitting, I decided it was time to get rid of the car.

As if the car gods were looking out for the old GTI, early into the start of summer 2013 I ruptured the achilles tendon playing hockey. The sad realization was that I would spend my summer on crutches. With loads of desk time on my hands and while cruising Kijiji to try and guess a price I might be able to sell the GTI for I came across an ad selling a Rabbit restoration project with a fully rebuilt 16v motor and a secondary in tact 16v motor for parts. Here was my chance to get the 16v motor I needed for the project - and it seemed like a decent project for me to work on while I was stuck on crutches for the summer. I immediately emailed the guy asking to take the parts motor off of his hands.

He emailed back saying he had a lot of interest in the motor and that it was already potentially sold. When he emailed back, however, I could see his name and recognized him as the same person that sold me the very GTI I bought years ago as my first car - what are the odds! When I pointed that fact out, he said he had a soft spot for his old car, and decided we could work something out. The next day, I had the 16v motor in my hands and against all odds the project was born!

I wasn't able to find many pics of the car in its glory:

Canoe on the racks after travelling a winding dirt road into the north:

Cleaned up for some pictures: